Some days, living in Japan feels more like training for a show like “The Amazing Race” or “Survivor,” except that I’m the only competitor in the race. Today was one of those days.
Without a car, getting around in Japan can be tough. Especially if the weather takes an unexpected turn for the worse, like it did last night.
Today was my first day at a new school, Sawa High School. I was determined to get there as early as possible because it was my first day and punctuality is highly valued in Japanese society. In Japan “on time” usually means 10 or 15 minutes before you are supposed to be somewhere. So this morning I told myself I would make it to my new school on time, even if it killed me, which I feel like it almost did.
Rewind to last night. I couldn’t sleep at all because out of nowhere (the weekend weather was warm and comfortable) it got really windy and cold. The wind banged against my windows and doors, keeping me up for part of the night. I knew that getting to school was going to be difficult.
My journey to Sawa began at about 7:00am. I had two options for getting to the train station: biking or walking. It was so windy outside that I thought the wind might blow me off my bike as I rode to the station. But there was no way I was going to walk the 25 or 30 minutes to get there in this weather... or so I thought.
After riding down the street for about two minutes, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet, which I would need to buy a train ticket and lunch. I rushed back to my apartment to grab it, and at the same time, realized it was starting to rain so hard that I needed an umbrella. Seeing as how I’m not as skilled as many Japanese people when it comes to riding my bike and holding an umbrella at the same time, I decided to walk (actually more like jog) to the train station. My train was at 7:39 and it was now around 7:15. I needed to hurry. It didn’t take long before the wind completely destroyed my umbrella by flipping it out the wrong way. I was disappointed, but I didn't let it stop me.
At this point, I pulled my hood over my head, tied the strings, and began to jog. There was absolutely no way I was going to be late for this train. The wind and rain hit my face as I jogged, but I was so focused on my destination that I didn’t care. After a while, I couldn't tell if it was rain or sweat that was dripping down my face. Probably a combination of them both.
I managed to make it to the station with four minutes to spare, just enough time to buy myself a ticket, wipe the rain (sweat?) off of my face, and attempt to restore my disheveled self. And it didn’t end there.
The train finally arrived, and I could hardly make out how crowded it was because the windows were so foggy from all the people. When the doors opened, I assumed that a bunch of passengers would get off, but they didn’t. I had never seen the train so crowded before. Everyone in front of me squeezed themselves into the train (complete organized chaos) and I hurriedly followed them, not realizing that I was the last one to get on the train... and that there was no room for me.
At this point, all I could think of was “survival of the fittest.” I was not about to lose now, especially after what it had taken to get there. I literally pushed myself into a group of young girls (repeatedly saying “Sumimasen!” of course) so that the door would be able to close. It was stuck for a minute because I was in the way.
After arriving at Sawa station, I had to walk another 15 or 20 minutes to get to school. This wasn’t so bad though because I found some students to talk to along the way. I managed to get to school just in time to run to the bathroom for a quick grooming (not that it did much at this point) before the morning teachers' meeting started. When I entered the staff room, I took a quick breath and was then asked to give my self introduction to the faculty.
What was my prize for successfully completing the race? Two really good self introduction lessons, a delicious curry, rice, and hamburger lunch, many new friends, and a ride to the train station after work.
I was satisfied.
